Still in Good Shape? The Role of the Humanities in Higher Education and Society

March 29, 2012 - PRLog -- In today’s uncertain economic climate, both graduates and educators ponder the importance of the humanities for higher education and society as a whole. New funding models and curricula, as well as developments like the emergence of digital humanities, aim to enliven academic fields that have been experiencing increased financial strains in recent times.

As one of the leading European research universities in the humanities and social sciences, and as an institution with an intensive focus on international cooperation, Freie Universität (FU) Berlin has been actively shaping dialogue on the humanities in Europe. FU Berlin’s President, Prof. Peter-André Alt, and Prof. Christof Mauch, the founding director of the Rachel Carson Center for Environment and Society, the largest project in the humanities at Ludwig-Maximilians-Universität München, will bring the German perspective to this transatlantic conversation. Prof. Chad Gaffield, who is the President of the Social Sciences and Humanities Research Council of Canada, and Prof. Don M. Randel, President of The Andrew W. Mellon Foundation, will join the discussion that will compare European and North American perspectives. Issues such as public awareness, funding, and the future of the humanities, especially under the growing pressure of graduates’ need for employment, will be addressed, along with innovations in humanities research.

Mark Anderson, professor of German at Columbia University, will moderate. Busso von Alvensleben, Consul General of the Federal Republic of Germany in New York, will deliver the welcome address.

The event, which will take place on Tuesday, April 3, 6:30 to 8:30 p.m., at the German House New York (871 United Nations Plaza, First Avenue, btw. 48th & 49th Streets), is organized in joint cooperation with the Freie Universität Berlin. To RSVP, click here: http://jotformpro.com/form/20714289117958. A video recording will be available on http://www.germaninnovation.org shortly after the event.

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The German Center for Research and Innovation provides information and support for the realization of cooperative and collaborative projects between North America and Germany. With the goal of enhancing communication on the critical challenges of the 21st century, GCRI hosts a wide range of events from lectures and exhibitions to workshops and science dinners. Opened in February 2010, GCRI was created as a cornerstone of the German government’s initiative to internationalize science and research and is one of five centers worldwide.